Statement as to rights to inventions made under Federally sponsored research and development: Not Applicable
1. Field of the Invention.
This invention relates to an apparatus for regulating the amount of air pressure in a tire, and particularly to the inclusion of a high pressure reservoir attached to a rim of a vehicle wheel. The apparatus automatically maintains air pressure within a pre-selected range. When pressure within the tire drops below the selected threshold, air is directed from the high pressure reservoir into the tire keeping it inflated to the desired minimum pressure; and, when pressure rises above the selected threshold in the tire, air is released from the tire into the atmosphere.
2. Background Information
An improperly inflated automobile tire is a safety hazard. Maintaining proper air pressure in an automobile tire (and other type vehicles) also increases fuel efficiency and maximizes tire life.
It is well known to attach an electronic tire pressure sensor to a rim of a vehicle wheel to sense pressure within a tire chamber. Such a tire pressure sensor contains a power source, such as a battery, and provides an alarm to a vehicle driver if pressure in the tire becomes too low. When the tire pressure become too low, it is known to transfer air from some mechanical air supply that is external to the vehicle""s tire, in order to obtain the proper pressure within the tire. The problem with an external air supply is that it may not be available to the user when needed, or it may require a power source that is susceptible to damage or not available when the air pressure in the tire is low.
Although an apparatus for mounting a pressure sensor on a rim of the vehicle is known, such prior art does not include a high pressure reservoir mounted to the rim and within the tire air chamber for supplying air to the tire when the tire pressure becomes too low. As such, prior art sensors may alarm the vehicle driver when the pressure is too low, but such apparatus is unable to supply air to the tire to prevent the pressure from becoming too low in the first place.
As will be seen from the subsequent description, the preferred embodiment of the present invention overcomes these and other shortcomings of prior art.
The present invention is designed to mount on a rim of a vehicle wheel over which a tubeless tire may then be mounted. The apparatus of the present invention mechanically maintains tire pressure within a pre-selected range, alleviating the need for the vehicle operator to manually inflate a tire to achieve the desired pressure. When pressure within the tire drops below a selected threshold, air stored in the apparatus"" high pressure reservoir is released into the tire keeping it inflated to the desired minimum pressure; and, when pressure in the tire rises above the selected threshold, air is released from the tire into the atmosphere. The preferred embodiment includes an air inlet valve for receiving compressed air from an outside source into a high pressure reservoir mounted on the rim of the vehicle wheel, an air regulator valve to transfer said air from said high pressure reservoir into a vehicle""s tire chamber, a release valve to let air out of the high pressure reservoir, if necessary, and a pressure activated air release valve to let air out of the vehicle""s tire when necessary.